1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a torque-absorbing rotary threaded fastener member. Specifically, the present invention is directed to a sheet metal screw or nut for attaching two thin panels together, which screw or nut exhibits an increased stripping torque over those of the prior art.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With presently available sheet metal screws, the range between drive torque and strip torque is unacceptably small. For this reason, it is virtually impossible, given dimensional tolerances and variances in material, to find a single torque setting on power screw drivers which will drive the hardest-to-drive screw without stripping the most strippable screw. Such a situation results in a relatively high number of screws being stripped during installation, leading to reduced clamp load between two metal panels being joined or secured together, or requires substantial operator time for removal and replacement of stripped screws. The screw of the present invention represents a solution to this problem by increasing the range between drive torque and strip torque, making it more difficult to strip the screw with the torque required to drive it into the panels being joined together.